We went on a tour that was under the umbrella of Road Scholar (www.roadscholar.org), which is part of Elderhostel although most of the age restrictions have been removed for the tours. The tour we selected was called “Wild Africa: Botswana and Zambia.”
The tour was well designed and well organized. They selected four-star accommodations and all arrangements for transfers from one place to another went smoothly (which is saying a lot in Africa). It was very impressive. The actual tour organizer was Explore, Inc. (www.exploreafrica.net). If you don’t want to do a Road Scholar tour, then contact Explore directly and arrange something with them. I highly recommend them!
Our guide, Lisa Reed (www.cardsandcrafts.biz) was superb in every way and I recommend you try to get a tour led by her. Check her website for how to contact her.
Our tour went to Botswana and Zambia, which, from all I have read and heard, is definitely the best choice for prime animal viewing. Game drives in other countries, like South Africa and Kenya are much more crowded with tourists so you end up being one of 20 game trucks all trying to look at the same elephant (which sounds more like a Disneyesque Wild Animal Park experience than an authentic game viewing experience). Botswana is more expensive than other countries, but definitely worth it.BEST TIME TO GO
Forget thoughts of summer versus winter. In Africa, you need to think of dry season versus wet season. Check out the overall climate at http://www.botswana.climatetemp.info/.
Dry season: Ground is dry and brown; most trees are bare and dead-looking. Weather is hot (but it’s a dry heat!). Water has dried up considerably so animals are more concentrated around watering holes, therefore easier to find and watch. In general, mosquito levels are low, and snakes and scorpions are not very active. (We didn’t see any on our trip.)
Best dry season time: mid-August through mid-Sept. Avoid October (they call it the suicide month because it is so beastly hot).
Wet season: Everything is lush and green and flowering, with lots of water. This also means that the animals are spread out a bit more, but you also tend to see a few different animals. Insect and reptile activity is much higher. It’s still hot (and humid).
Best wet season time: mid-November because the animals generally have new babies. However, June has the lowest temperatures.
SURVIVAL TIPS FOR LONG FLIGHTS
· Try to get a seat in an exit row or any other row that has extra leg room (even if you have to pay a bit more money).
· Take a sleeping pill to help you get a few hours of sleep so that you are not a zombie when you arrive.
Ronya I have really enjoyed your blog. You are really a good writer and captured so much of our trip. Like you I tell people it was so amazing that it is hard to describe--but you did a great job! Thanks so much for your blog--it will go in my scrapbook--yes the old fashioned kind ;-) Mary
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